Purple Hearts

“I will not be the one to take me out of the game.” – Jessica Heartlette 

Jessica’s post (and Jessica herself) motivated me greatly this week.  The drive to move forward and to consciously make a decision not to be your own greatest obstacle is something most people need to be reminded of occasionally.  And I’m no exception. 

Stealing an analogy from a fellow Romance Diva’s blog –I’m on a writing diet!  

So, just like a diet, I have a goal:  To publish. 

What is my timeframe: I gave myself 3 years straight out. Everything is about writing until April 2010 and then I’ll revisit my ‘diet’. 

What ‘junk’ am I giving up: TV - is a big time-sucker for me that I generally don’t get any big payoff from. Books – yes, books. Last year I averaged 1.2 books a day (I was unemployed for part of it) and some of them were good, but a lot of them were just time fillers.  People – Not the inner circle people. The time-sucker, why do I hangout with this person who is toxic/bitchy/mean/boring/needy/etc. people. Lastly, the ‘yes syndrome’ – Just because someone asks me to do something, doesn’t mean I have to volunteer to do it.  

And, as always, you can check out some of my ‘healthy diet’ at the resources link - I update it every week with new, good for you writing food.

What exercise am I getting: You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – I’m a goals girl. They drive me and tracking my progress (thus, the goals page) keeps me motivated. But without actively setting aside time to write or edit everyday, all the thinking about writing, all the giving up time-suckers, all the telling people you’re writing means nothing. 

But the most amazing thing is the freedom this decision has given me.  I’ve explained the plan to the people in my life, and although some of them are grumbly-grumbly about writing coming in the Top 3 Things To Do Today category, they’ve all eased into supportiveness.  

Join me on my diet – Go Write!

-bria